Linked Descendants

The Linked Descendants Working Group develops resources for people who are “linked” through their connections to historic enslavement. They call themselves “linked descendants” due to having a joint history in slavery – a pairing of a descendant of an enslaved person with a descendant of his or her slaveholder – who have found each other and who are in communication.

NEW: On June 10, 2017, the Linked Descendants working group sponsored a Community Conference Call: “Slaveholder Descendant Comes to Terms with His Family History.” A European American man of conscience discovered the slave-owning history of his ancestors and the racist hatred of his Jim Crow era grandparents. What drew him into learning more about his family’s past? How has he been affected by what he learned and how does he think about it now? Reverend Ken Collier shared his family story and how he is coming to terms with what he learned. He was interviewed by long-time CTTT members, Sharon Morgan and Prinny Anderson. To listen to a recording of this call, click on the right-arrow at the left of this bar:

A key activity of this Group is the creation and maintenance of BitterSweet: Linked Through Slavery, a blog focused on looking deeply at the truth of the history of enslavement at the heart of the founding of the United States, facing the pains and schisms embedded in that history and its present day legacy, seeking reconciliation, if possible, and supporting action to open eyes and hearts and to dismantle institutionalized racism. You can access BitterSweet by clicking on the BitterSweet logo below: